Truth 10. Knowing your inside story is the key

The brand new cub reporter came to work in the morning and the editor asked, “Where’s the story on the church performance last night?”

“Couldn’t do it,” replied the young reporter.

“Why not?” asked the editor.

“Didn’t see it.”

“Why? Didn’t you go?”

“Yes, but they didn’t give the performance,” said the reporter.

“Why in the world not?”

“The church burned down.”

The point of this old journalism anecdote, for our current purpose: Know what the story is and what matters. You can’t and shouldn’t write without substance. Writing is not “a way with words” or, ever, a sleight of hand to conceal lack of substance or thought. We’re not saying there isn’t a ton of writing like that in the corporate world—only that’s it’s bad writing.

Figuring out what to say in your message is key. How to do it? Once you’ve determined goal and audience, you have a good head start.

Let’s work backward this time with the simple example we talked about in the discussion of tone in Truth 9. Marian’s goal was to get the target people to the meeting and ensure its success. If you were writing the memos, you’d ask yourself, what will that take? What must I communicate to achieve my goal?

For Alpha, the boss: Remind her that the subject is of interest to her so that the meeting is relevant…make the timing convenient, even flexible, because she is juggling so many demands…build in follow-up.

For Mark, the subordinate: He’s on the spot. You need him to come to the meeting totally prepared so that he reflects well on you and shows himself off well. In fact, you’d better check out his work in advance. Build in follow-up.

For Joan, your colleague: Let her know about the meeting in which she has an indirect stake (for instance, because her department needs Section A done before it can proceed with its own work). But you don’t want any surprises, so the two of you should be on the same wavelength before the meeting itself. Friendliness and goodwill are important. Build in follow-up that reflects this and further strengthens your alliance.

These are simple examples of content mapping. Do the three memos cover the territory? Do you see any missed angles?

Actually, we can point out at least one missing content piece. In the memo to Mark, it isn’t necessary to paint the scene as a make-or-break opportunity for him, but including the fact that your own boss will be there to see him perform more than gets that point across. That fact, and a rundown of the other people who will be present, should probably be included in all three memos, as should location (where the meeting will take place) and timing (how long it’s expected to last).

Mapping longer projects—Mapping content for a longer or more challenging piece of writing—whether it’s a report, an article, a proposal, or a customer contact letter—is just the same. Simply jot down everything you can think of that will help you achieve your goal, and will work with the target audience. What points must you make to state your case? What will show the recipient that he or she should give you what you want?

Don’t worry about how the points connect to each other or how to sequence them at this thinking-through stage. Trying to create a formal outline can paralyze many people.

For a complicated writing project, your list can include numerous points of information: facts, statistics, ideas, anecdotes, illustrations, references, and so on. Figuring out what content will accomplish your goals often shows you what additional information to gather.

We’re not recommending information overload—the object is always to provide what will achieve your goal in the shortest, simplest way.